Anchorage Start Now Official
News Release November 18, 2014
IRON DOG 2015 STARTING IN DOWNTOWN ANCHORAGE
Iron Dog gathers approval for a series of new events in downtown Anchorage.Anchorage. After nearly four years of growing the event into something far more than a cross-country snowmobile race, a dream becomes real. Thanks to the solid support of the Alaska National Guard and many other sponsors, the start of the 2015 Iron Dog is moving to downtown Anchorage. The downtown festivities are scheduled to begin in the evening Friday, February 20, 2015 and continue all day on Saturday, February 21, 2015.Kevin Kastner, Executive Director, Iron Dog, Inc., said: “The genesis of the idea came out of a vision statement I presented to the Iron Dog Board of Directors in the summer of 2010. With the addition of Anchorage, I believe we are making a great contribution to a refreshed legacy of winter tourism and starting a new chapter for motorsports and snowmachining advocacy. You’ll often hear me say the Iron Dog is much more than a race, and I believe this just the beginning.” Since 2011, Iron Dog has developed an Urban-Rural Student Exchange Program to connect our communities, developed numerous public safety messages for winter safety and suicide prevention, and donated $84,000 to local Alaska charities as a by-product of the Iron Dog Raffle.The recent Resolution of Support by the Anchorage Assembly marks the crescendo of approval for Iron Dog coming to Anchorage. The approval took thousands of hours, strong teamwork and scores of people banding together around the simple idea that it could be done. The can-do spirit of overcoming tough obstacles that led to this approval is a testament to the core Alaskan values which echoes the Iron Dog philosophy of adaptation and endurance.Iron Dog could not have succeeded without the team spirit shown by Mayor Dan Sullivan, JBER Public Affairs and Base Commander, EasyPark, Alaska Railroad Corporation, Visit Anchorage, Anchorage Downtown Partnership, The Port of Anchorage, Anchorage Assembly, employees of the Municipality of Anchorage, Birchwood Recreation and Shooting Park, Eklutna Corporation, Wells Fargo Bank, Hilton Hotels, Hard Rock Cafe, Odom Corporation and many other downtown businesses. This list only shows a fraction of the community effort and many individuals who came together to make this a reality. “We are truly grateful for the support,” said Jim Wilke, President, Iron Dog Board of Directors. “This is a strong endorsement of what we stand for.”The entire Iron Dog race week has been compressed to 10 days from the first event to the Finish line in Fairbanks. What was a week apart, the Donlin Gold Safety Expo is now only 3 days before the start. The primary goal of this new schedule is to make more events accessible to more people. Sponsors from Outside and racers from rural Alaska are now able to save a few days of travel time, allowing for more time to engage in the events. We expect this new action-filled schedule to drive a sharp uptick in visitors who will to come to Anchorage for at least four or five consecutive days.A special media event is scheduled for November 24, 2014 to introduce racers and special guests while revealing details of the Anchorage schedule and introducing other exciting new events. Contact Kevin Kastner for details.
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About Iron Dog, Inc. | 7100 Old Seward Hwy, Ste C, Anchorage, Alaska 99518 USAIron Dog, Inc. is a proud leader in the snowmobile community promoting snowmobile safety and outdoor education through trade shows, seminars and community events. Iron Dog also conducts student exchange programs and has donated $84,000 to Alaska charities since 2011.The Iron Dog race, presented by the Alaska National Guard, is a World Class Snowmobile Event that crosses the State of Alaska each February impacting over twenty-five Alaskan communities. Today’s Iron Dog course is over 2,000 miles, from Anchorage to Nome and finishing in Fairbanks, making it the World’s longest snowmobile race. Participants must traverse areas of Alaska’s most remote and rugged terrain while confronting some of the harshest winter conditions. Survival skills are essential, making it the World’s toughest snowmobile race.Iron Dog 2015 is planned to commence Saturday, February 21, 2015. Visit www.irondog.org for the latest news and schedule of events. For additional information:Kevin Kastner, Executive Director, Iron Dog, Inc.Tel. 907-563-4414E-mail: kkastner@irondog.org
Download Iron Dog Press Release 18NOV2014 (.pdf)
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ANCHORAGE, ALASKA AR No. 2014-308
A RESOLUTION OF THE ANCHORAGE MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY SUPPORTING THE RELOCATION OF THE START OF THE IRON DOG SNOW MACHINE RACE.WHEREAS, the Iron Dog, started in 1984, is a Non-profit 501 (c)(4) organization; andWHEREAS, the Iron Dog is a globally recognized extreme winter motor sport event that covers more than 2,000 miles across Alaska, with two-person teams riding snow machines from Southcentral Alaska to Nome and back to Fairbanks; andWHEREAS, the Iron Dog provides positive community impact including charitable fundraising, and urban-rural student exchange program and positive economic impact for more than twenty communities across Alaska; andWHEREAS, the Iron Dog is one of Alaska’s top winter sporting events and with events spanning a 3-4 day timeframe including events such as Racers’ Ball, safety expo, freestyle exhibition, amateur race start and professional race start would generate great local attendance, media awareness and fans worldwide; andWHEREAS, relocating the start of the race to downtown Anchorage will create more visibility, more opportunity for increased attendance and tie into already popular winter events such as Fur Rondy and Iditarod; andWHEREAS, Visit Anchorage, the destination marketing organization for the Municipality of Anchorage, and the Anchorage Downtown Partnership also support the relocation of the start of the Iron Dog snow machine race to Anchorage.NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Anchorage Assembly supports the relocation of the start of the Iron Dog Snow Machine Race to Anchorage.PASSED AND APPROVED by the Anchorage Assembly this 18th day of November, 2014.
_______________________________Chair of the Assembly
ATTEST:
_______________________________Municipal Clerk